Forgotten Treasures: 1964 A's Program

One dollar in 1964 is worth a bit more than $10 today. I got that from an inflation calculator on the website of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and while I’m sure any of the hundreds of other inflation calculators out there would develop somewhat different numbers, I’m going to assume theirs is about right.

So, logically, something that sold for 50 cents in 1964 should sell for about five bucks today, all things being equal. A pack of Juicy Fruit gum, of a bottle of Coke, or a box of Kleenex would cost roughly ten times today what it cost in 1964.

But…

That’s assuming you bought the same thing brand new each time. A new pack of Juicy Fruit bought today would cost 10 times the amount a new pack cost in 1964, but the same pack of 1964 Juicy Fruit, magically transported to 2025 and placed in an antique store with nostalgia virtually dripping from its vintage wrapper, would likely cost quite a bit more (and would be pretty awful if someone decided to chew it).

I can prove that because, in 1964, the Kansas City A’s sold their annual yearbook for a cover price of 50 cents, and I recently ran across a copy in an antique store. Shockingly, the proprietor didn’t want just five bucks for it. They wanted $30.

Behold, the yearbook of the 1964 Kansas City A’s, complete with a blond-haired, blue-eyed player whose glove is apparently the same shade of yellow as both his hair and his uniform. Ignore the big red “55”: That’s the booth number, not the price.